6 Things That Made Jesus Angry
What made Jesus angry?
We tend to picture Jesus as a mild-mannered guy who always spoke in hushed tones. But that’s not the Jesus we see pictured in the Bible. Jesus got mad on several occasions.
Now, don’t get me wrong, Jesus was not a hothead nor did he sin in his anger. But he did express anger and it’s important that we pause and ask: What made Jesus mad?
The Type Of Anger Jesus Had
We will look at what made Jesus angry in a minute. First, we need to look at the type of anger Jesus expressed.
We often view anger as an emotion we should avoid, a sin. But our anger isn’t the problem, it’s what we do with our anger that determines if we sin or not (Ephesians 4:26).
There are things in this world that should make us angry. We should be outraged by the injustices, violence, greed, poverty, and death that run rampant all around us. That should stir up an anger deep within us because it’s just not right. That anger is good; it’s righteous anger. It’s the same anger that God feels when he sees the evil that is so pervasive in the world.
Righteous anger over evil is good, but in our anger, we should not sin. In other words, we might be tempted to fight evil with evil. Through Jesus, we are shown a better way. When stones are thrown at us, we don’t throw them back. Instead, we love.
And that’s exactly what Jesus did. When he got angry over the evil in this world, he never stooped to its level. In his anger, he did not sin.
What Made Jesus Mad?
As we look at what made Jesus mad, I would encourage you to push back against the urge to point the finger. It’s really easy to see how those people did something that made Jesus mad, but it’s really hard to see it in ourselves. Instead of pointing the finger, look in the mirror.
Here are 6 things that made Jesus angry.
1. The Human Condition
Humanity exists in a broken state, a fallen world. That should come as no surprise, the evidence is everywhere. Kids are starving, people are dying, broken families are the norm, mental health crises abound, war is commonplace, and pain and turmoil exist around every corner. We are not okay.
And Jesus was angry about it. This isn’t anger like punching a wall. And it’s probably not even the primary emotion he felt. But you can see anger in his response.
This is most clearly seen in John 11:35, the shortest verse in the Bible: “Jesus wept.” Jesus was so overcome by the human condition, the death a friend faced, that he wept.
In this moment Jesus is reacting to the fallen condition of his people. He is distraught that the people he cares for are experiencing pain. Jesus feels empathy, but he responds with anger. In John 11:38, Jesus was deeply moved and yelled for Lazarus to come out. Jesus was mad over the human condition.
That’s the short version of that story, read more about this encounter here: Why Jesus Wept (and why we should too)
2. Rules Being Placed Over People
The religious leaders in Jesus’ day tended to value adherence to the law over caring for people, which is not what God intended. The rules God established were supposed to help his people stay in right relationship with him and others. The heart of the law was missed in the pursuit of following the law. In other words, they cared more about obeying the rules precisely that they missed what the rules were supposed to lead to.
And let’s be honest, we are no better today, are we?
Jesus continually broke the rules that the religious set up. Now to be clear, Jesus didn’t break the law that God had established. Rather he broke the extra rules the religious leaders put in place to protect the law, and that made a lot of people mad.
Maybe the best example is Jesus healing on the Sabbath (Matthew 12:10, Luke 13:10-17, Luke 6:7, John 9:16). To the religious leaders, that was a no-no, because you were supposed to rest.
Jesus pushed back on this attitude and showed that people were more important. He healed people right in front of the Pharisees, just to show how serious he was.
3. Kids Being Pushed Aside
Jesus went out of his way to show value to kids, when others pushed them aside he made room for them. Not only that, he promises justice for those who harm kids, claims you must be like a child to enter his kingdom, and always makes them a priority (Mark 9:36-37, Matthew 18:14, Luke 9:47-48).
When kids were pushed aside Jesus got angry. The disciples once tried to rebuke Jesus for spending so much time with kids. In response, Jesus insisted that kids deserve a seat in the kingdom of God (Mark 10:13-16, Matthew 19:13-14).
I’m not the most emotional person, but since having a child of my own, I find myself exponentially more emotional about anything regarding kids. It’s hard for me to not get choked up when I see a story about a sick, abused, or neglected child.
I imagine God’s heart is like that. Whenever a child is sick, hurt, in distress, lonely, abandoned, hungry, being abused, or told lies, I believe God is deeply moved. We see that in Jesus as he walked this earth. He loves kids and can’t stand to see them hurt.
4. Self-Righteousness
Maybe the most common anger that Jesus expressed was over self-righteousness. Jesus got mad at the religious leaders because really, they were just religious phonies. They pretended to be good, but in reality, they were just as messed up as everyone else. But they refused to admit and acknowledge their own sin.
Jesus famously calls out this hypocrisy by saying they wash the outside of the cup but ignore the inside (Matthew 23:25-32). They carefully protected their image and appeared good, but ignored the dirtiness of their heart.
Jesus wasn’t necessarily mad at them because of their sin. He was mad because they pretended they were better than they were. Jesus came for the sinners and the sick, but he got mad at those who were self-righteous.
5. Making It Difficult For People To Get To God
This one and the last one go hand in hand. The reason Jesus often got mad at the religious leaders is they made it hard for people to get to God. They complicated the rules, sold sacrifices for a profit, and belittled those who weren’t as “good” as them.
They propped themselves up by pushing others down. Now, let’s not point fingers. We do this ALL the time in our minds and behind people’s backs. We tear people down so that we look better. We are no better.
This attitude made Jesus mad.
This is ultimately what caused Jesus to flip tables in the temple twice (John 2:13-17, Matthew 21:12-17). What was happening was the religious leaders were selling the sacrifices required by God’s law for a profit. In other words, poor families who traveled far and at great expense to follow God’s law were extorted, when they should have been helped.
This is where we see Jesus at his angriest. He makes a whip and drives them out. Why? Because they were making it harder for people to get to God all so they could make a few bucks.
6. Selfish Ambition
Again, this one builds off the previous, but I think there’s an important distinction. Jesus often got mad when people had ulterior motives or selfish ambitions. He critiques the Pharisees for praying loudly in public (Matthew 6:5) because they were doing so for their own gain. He once said he preferred the pennies of a widow to the large bags of coins from the Pharisees (Mark 12:41-44). He was admonishing the Pharisees because they didn’t care about the heart of giving. It was all a show, and that made Jesus mad.
We tend to view God as a police officer. He just wants us to obey the law and if we don’t, he’ll get us. But he’s not really after a submissive people who just blindly follow him. He’s interested in a relationship with his people. He wants our heart. Often what happens is we miss that the rules are there to bring us closer to him.
We see this attitude through Jesus. He saw through the facades that people put up. They were doing the right actions but for the wrong reasons. Jesus was more interested in what was going on in their hearts and not what they portrayed outwardly.
What Jesus Anger Teaches Us Today
Jesus’ anger was almost always directed towards the religious, and occasionally his followers. Interestingly, he rarely got mad about the injustices done to him; and people said and did some pretty nasty things to him.
Instead, his anger came out when someone was being kept from him. Jesus wanted all people to have the opportunity to know his love for them and when that opportunity was squashed by a rule, a person, or a system, he got mad.
I don’t know about you, but my anger is often directed towards those who have wronged me. Maybe that’s you too. After all, we have valid reasons for being mad at that person. They deserve it, but we follow a God that gave us what we needed instead of what we deserved.
Our anger should look like Jesus’ anger. He didn’t lash out at people who wronged him, even though he had every right to. Instead, he reserved his anger for those who were being neglected and abused. May we too show anger for what made Jesus mad. And may we be able to point to the cross where ALL of God’s wrath was satisfied.
If you want to keep studying this topic check out: What Made Jesus Mad by Tim Harlow
Yes!!! Jesus was not passive in these situations. And neither should we as His followers be.
Ex #1 He did say “Father forgive them for they know not what they do” from the cross, BUT 50 days later on the day of Pentecost Peter BLASTED many of the same ppl who yelled “Crucify Him”, and said, Acts 2:36-38- “Therefore let the entire house of Israel know with certainty that God has made him both Lord and Messiah, this Jesus WHOM YOU CRUCIFIED”. Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?” Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” CHANGES WERE NEEDED, correct?
Ex #2 It has taken me a LONG TIME to know that my anger against my own sexual and spiritual abusers is RIGHTEOUS. A CHANGE is needed from my being a helpless victim to a powerful speaking-out, accountability-holding woman!
My spirit needed this. A few hours ago I was like I want to have a relationship with you god but I don’t want to be a Christian robot. I want to be kind and have a fun life. These quotes make me feel so much better about Jesus. What an awesome guy!!! I knew life wasn’t supposed to be this hard. Thank you so much!!!!!
Our pastor gave a sermon yesterday and it was being basically about anger. He said Jesus was never “angry.” He spoke about family and really used anger in a broad term. I love my children dearly and devote my life to them. As parents, we do get “angry” sometimes, but I would say my own is more frustration i.e. after repeated requests for my adult child to do something, he does not as if he never hears me until I need to raise the volume of my soft spoken voice. Do I want to do that…I prefer not to but sometime I have no choice. Jesus was “frustrated” at times with his adult children in the Bible. So I found this article because I wanted to understand it more. Righteous angry vs vindictive angry is what was missing from my pastor’s sermon.
Only one of these examples really explicitly says Jesus was angry. I have some thoughts on that. I’d tend to agree that chasing out the money lenders implies anger, but not necessarily. One does not have to be angry to apply the necessary means to remedy a situation, one can simply be very clear that this must change. And that is what I think is actually going on in the other instances. Jesus is saying things that make people angry, but He is not angry, He just knows they are stuck in a pattern of thinking, and those words can remedy it for at least some.
But in one instance does it really say Jesus is angry, and that is when people do not receive children in His name. That is the anti gospel. Thinking the Kingdom is something merited in any way by anyone, is the only barrier to entry, because being aware of the Kingdom IS a sheer act of receiving for which one has done nothing to deserve it. Faith is the trusting so as to let go of the idea of merit, it is not an active act of particular intellectual propositions being held (though those have a role). Jesus only gets angry when people confuse the ones with the most faith with those with the least, which is what we do all the time.
Reading your first paragraph, JESUS WASN’T A WHITE GUY! Other than that, good article!
Sorry, I don’t agree with any of your 6 points. I think perhaps mad is not the right word to use in your examples. I can think of only one instance were I think Jesus got mad. Matthew 21:12-13 and same in Mark 11:15-18.
Thank you for this lesson. At first wasn’t sure about reading it, it didn’t sound right, but I kept reading and I’m glad I did. I have so much notes from your lesson. Thank you. I’m planning on sharing it with my family.
Why are so many Christian scholars reluctant to discuss their perception of the presence of Jesus in their hearts?
https://lutherwasnotbornagaincom.wordpress.com/2022/03/12/why-does-bible-scholar-joel-edmund-anderson-refuse-to-discuss-his-perception-of-jesus-in-his-heart/
Thanks so much for taking the time to help people understand the Bible. I really appreciate that! You seem like an awesome guy with a great little family and I’m so pumped to hear you’re going to be planting a church in 2022! However, with the greatest respect, I think you’ve made a lot of assumptions in this post.
Jeffery, I hope you hear my heart when I say this: but I think you’ve missed the mark on at least 4 out of the 6 points here. I see your response to Linda below (or above, who knows), but I have to agree that it might be best to consider taking this post down or editing it pretty extensively. And I mean that with the utmost kindness – hopefully that’s clear.
Blessings, brother!
Dave
please consider taking this post down. in my opinion, it misrepresented the scriptures you quote. Weeping is not the same as being angry. giving correction is not the same as being angry. making money while misrepresenting doctrine is what made Jesus angry
I think there might be a disconnect in how we are defining the term “angry”. There’s a difference between righteous anger and vindictive anger.
I’ll give you it’s a little bit of a stretch to say angry because of how that word is perceived. However, that’s the term 1000s of people use to search so that’s the term I have to use. Each of the above points is researched and backed up by scholars/theologians. I didn’t make anything up to get clicks or make money.
I also feel I should address, this site doesn’t exist to make money. It exists to help people understand the Bible and deal with misconceptions. It’s a site that is prayed over, each topic is studied, and I have a few people that will call me out if I’m out of line.
Having a site of this size does cost money and time. Therefore I place ads on my site and run affiliate programs. That covers my costs and compensates me a little (less than minimum wage) for my time. But it’s not a site that seeks to primarily make money.
This article cut me to the heart. I’m not going to pick it apart or try to prove what Jesus felt at every single moment in these passages. We can all perceive emotions that are apparent. Jesus was displeased, grieved, and yes, angry. And that’s enough for me to read with conviction. I’m not too proud to say I see myself in some of these points. Please do not take this article down. I taught Bible and had to take the necessary courses to do so. Sometime that head knowledge leads me to want to arrogantly split hairs. I would humbly appeal to everybody to stop debating and let these words sink into your hearts. No doubt you might think I need to be more scholarly and pinpoint any little discrepancies from my own studies. But no. Not this time. I am undone. This article is spot on for today’s church.
Jesus wept because of their lack of faith…for without faith it is impossible to please Him. Jesus knew He was going to raise Lazarus, but first He groaned when they showed lack of faith saying if You would have come sooner Lazarus would have been healed. They could not believe Jesus was going to raise Lazarus from the dead and it displeased Him.
na this sis just all fake i know he hasnt done nything like a mad peson
Not saying he’s a “mad person”. But Jesus did experience anger. The Bible talks extensively about God’s anger.
Truth, Jesus got ” annoyed” even… ” how long must I suffer with you faithless people”… I think im quoting that right..
Mr. Poor did not misinterpreted scripture, He helped you understand it ..
Anger is an emotion felt by all and honestly Jesus loved all, those who loved him and those who didn’t ..I’m a reader/ writer myself and study the Word and he hot angry/ annoyed at both…had he not felt this emotion he would have not been human. He even at his last moment ” questioned ” ( maybe not a great word to use, idk, I’m writing this quickly) His father’s love when he screamed out ” why have you forsaken me!”
To those to didnt understand this man’s word that he got from the Word, I encourage you to keep reading, keep seeking, get real with yourself and Christ and onward Mr. Poor